Old Ye, who was already dozing off due to his age, was startled awake when Xia Yu took off and hurriedly ran to the drone control station to watch the battle.
Then he witnessed the entire scene of Lu Hu's berserk attack.
Grenadiers are not without Mi-24s; with the addition of highly paid retired elite pilots from the Army Aviation Corps, they can replicate the same maneuver, but they cannot deceive the enemy's long-range strike convoy.
Or rather, they simply didn't know about the existence of that APR-40.
Old Ye was on tenterhooks.
This group of AceAce is clearly slowly boiling the frog, letting them get used to the M109's sniping attacks, gradually making them take it for granted, and then switching to multiple rocket launchers.
He couldn't imagine what it would be like to be hit on the head by 80 122mm rockets in the dead of night.
Fortunately, none of this happened; Xia Yu eliminated the threat in advance.
“I don’t drink heavily, but I deserve a drink today.”
Old Yev opened the bottle of vodka and poured himself two glasses.
"Yes, cheers!"
Xia Yu took the glass from him and drank it all in one gulp. It wasn't spicy at all, just the mellow taste of alcohol.
This is just pure vodka, not much flavor. The only difference in quality is the quality of the raw materials used in its production.
Old Ye was not holding the shelf-top vodka that cost tens of dollars a bottle, but the expensive ones were easy to drink and it was easy to drink too much without realizing it.
Xia Yu finished his drink and didn't take another. He then distributed the rest to everyone present, sharing the joy of the successful operation with them.
Destroying a multiple rocket launcher would at least allow you to resupply an ammunition truck once, take out the supporting self-propelled howitzers, and deal with so many miscellaneous soldiers.
The price for this sortie cannot be calculated based on the $300,000 charge for a single air support mission.
The usual calculation method is based on their intrinsic value and a discount to recover losses; the negotiated figure is 5 million.
Adding the 1.5 million from conventional precision bombing, Jihuo Defense earned 6.5 million in one night. Of course, there's also the 500,000 for basic deployment every day, plus some miscellaneous expenses and subsidies, bringing the total to over 7 million.
Xia Yu's appearance fee is very high. The cost starts from the moment he boards the ship, with so many vehicles in the air and on the ground. The contract is also charged according to a combination of terms.
The complex combat environment of modern battlefields and the PMC's charging method for strikes cannot be as simple as it was hundreds of years ago, when an Indian scalp cost $50 or a head of a Manchu cost 50 taels of silver.
Routine deployments have their own costs, while targeting high-value targets incurs additional charges.
However, the total cost, when averaged out per person, is still around seventy to eighty thousand US dollars.
The government's annual military expenditure of $20 billion, when spread over several years and the combined results of tens of thousands of soldiers (including opposition forces and Ace Attorney General), would be even more staggering.
Therefore, war is a money-burning affair. If you can't afford to burn money, more people will die. Sufficient population is also an important indicator of war potential.
There are not many people left in Syria, but the good news is that they still have oil and gas resources, as well as support from Russia and Persia.
This also allows them to afford fire support services.
However, while Xia Yu could help them reclaim the cities of Balmira and Elek from AceAce, the surrounding opposition forces, each with their own backgrounds, would have to rely on themselves.
Back in the barracks, he collapsed into bed and fell asleep. But in the main city, Hussein's eyes were bloodshot. He had killed Osamah, lost the organization's assets, and had been thoroughly outmaneuvered by the other side.
They weren't Ossiers; they didn't have the brains for it. Nor were they government troops. Some of their elite units were equipped with weapons and equipment supplied by Ossiers, but they still couldn't operate them with such proficiency.
Hussein suddenly thought of that armored convoy. Could it be them?
It really was them, but the lack of intelligence forced him to request assistance from headquarters and report the losses.
"Husseini, you must pull yourself together and lead our warriors to keep those infidels out of Balmira."
The religious councilor in charge of him encouraged Hussein.
"I will find information about these people as soon as possible, and I will also allocate the weapons you need to Elek as soon as possible."
To have grown from the base's Yilaoke branch to its current size, Ace Ace must have some resources.
They have planted informants in several opposition armed groups and government forces, which allows them to obtain useful intelligence.
As for the new weapons, Hussein requested them from headquarters after the concentrated fire defense team arrived.
If they don't need it, they can keep it in Elek. But if they do need it, they'll have another trump card.
"Yes, Congressman!"
After ending the communication, Hussein dragged his tired body into the car to continue inspecting the city's defenses.
He was afraid that the other party would take the opportunity to attack, but last night's blow was at most an appetizer, far from the real main course!
Instead of focusing the members' energy on patrols, it would be more effective to strengthen their training in dealing with air raids.
Hans and Domi didn't return to the outpost camp. They got up early this morning and continued to handcraft precision-guided bombs.
Each sortie costs 1.5 million, and the government forces directly ordered seven or eight sorties. If this is spread out to one sortie per day, they will have to endure at least a week of precision bombing!
"boom"
"boom"
The violent explosions destroyed building after building, but the number of dead and injured in the main city of Ace was gradually decreasing.
With no weapons in his hands, Hussein stared gravely at the epicenter of the explosion, a kilometer away.
By constantly summarizing the patterns, he discovered that the enemy initially bombed buildings that had access to electricity, and then, after bombing those buildings, they targeted people and vehicles on the streets.
Because the targets are smaller, and the bombing time has gradually shifted to daytime, they are now able to detect enemy fighters that have closed to within 10 kilometers.
Unfortunately, the range of their portable anti-aircraft missiles is still too short to reach their targets.
Xia Yu was guarding against this move of yours. He instructed the Fruit Bat crew that they could only fly at around 10 kilometers per hour recently.
The Barmira Castle is not only the highest point in the vicinity, but it is also at least 2 kilometers away from the city. If an air defense team were deployed there, it would be very dangerous if they flew close.
Xia Yu's concerns were valid. Jamil was an anti-aircraft gunner with a combat record of shooting down enemy tanks; he had even knocked down government tanks, making him extremely dangerous.
If it's not his weasel crew that's going to fight, everything should be done cautiously, and we absolutely shouldn't try anything fancy.
However, with the continued bombing, the number of targets of value was gradually decreasing, which also symbolized that close-quarters street fighting was approaching.
Both sides knew the numbers: from 150 casualties on the first day, to 90 on the second day, then to 70, 50, 30...
Hussein has suffered 450 casualties to date, more than 20% of his total forces.
The government forces paid less than 20 million, which can be considered a very worthwhile deal.
However, the downward curve is flattening out, and if this bombing continues, there will be no further growth. The inevitable result is the deployment of ground forces to officially begin the war.
The equipment in the field was being assembled. Two companies of 12 D30 howitzers stored at the T-4 base were being transported by truck along with their ammunition to the outpost camp.
After the company grew to several thousand people, Old Yev had a reinforced howitzer battalion with 24 of these 122mm caliber guns.
It's not that we can't get 152mm D20 heavy artillery, but we want to achieve an advantage in scale. A smaller caliber would be easier, and the D30 is sufficient in Syria.
On the contrary, for concentrated fire defense, if there are not enough personnel, the caliber must be used to make up for it. A small number of 155mm howitzers combined with multiple rocket launchers would be just right.
The D30 gun crew requires seven men, while most 155mm howitzers can be reduced to five.
The number of people (gun crews + logistics) needed to serve these 20-plus cannons in Ghent alone is close to 400, several times the total number of personnel in the concentrated fire defense.
That's why people say they're more like an army than a company!
The remaining 12 D30 howitzers, along with Gna's main force, supported the government forces in another direction, targeting an opposition armed group.
The multi-front war meant that two PMC companies had to be hired in the Balmira area. Old Yev was on the side with fewer people because he, as the boss, was not good at commanding.
With only a little over 1,000 people, they were equipped with half of the company's heavy firepower. To put it bluntly, they were responsible for the second-line main force, while the core of the attack was concentrated fire defense.
Old Yev can not only act as a mascot here, but also keep these newly retired "arrogant and fierce generals" in check.
Soldiers are proud. Before witnessing the true combat power of concentrated fire defense, they don't think they are inferior to the enemy in any way. Why should these guys be the main attackers while they play a supporting role?
You said you're very famous in Afica.
That's because they hadn't gone to Afica yet; the intensity there is nothing compared to that of Syria.
Many Garner employees share this sentiment.
But since the boss is here, they have to give him face and cooperate with him as the main force to attack the main city of Balmira.
But this company has less than 100 employees, yet they managed to storm into an enemy camp of nearly 2,000 and tear a breach.
Oh, their Mi-24 pilots are quite skilled, and the fighter jet crew's bombing accuracy is also quite good, but this kind of battle must be won with ground forces; fighter jets and helicopters alone are useless.
Everyone knows this common sense, but Jihuo Defense started with just one T-64B1M, and its strength lies in its ground forces.
So what if the number is small? Does Ace think he can assemble an armored torrent?
We couldn't gather that many, but we still had a dozen or so old vehicles. However, one T-54 was unlucky; it was parked in a shop and was blown up by a GBU-16, along with the shop on the street.
Two more T-55s had minor scratches, but they were still usable.
The "Pot Lid" tank remains India's mainstay tank, with over 700 still in service.
Although the 100mm rifled gun is outdated, if its successor main battle guns can't penetrate its frontal cannon, can't they penetrate its sides and rear?
Hussein's tactics were to prioritize using tanks as artillery, with nearly a hundred anti-tank teams dealing with enemy tanks and armored vehicles, while their tanks followed behind to pick off any remaining enemies.
It's a very underhanded tactic, but is it really that easy to exploit gaps in the defense when focusing fire?
"We've found out. The other party is an Afica PMC company called Focus Fire Defense, equipped with T-64 tanks and Marder infantry fighting vehicles. They once destroyed our branch in the Sahel region."
Hussein received another call from a member of parliament and also received intelligence about the concentrated fire defense.
"This company is not large, but the per capita ownership of heavy equipment is very high, so its combat power is very strong. I heard that it is the reinforcements brought by Boss Genna, and the attack may be mainly led by them."
"This is the same company that launched the airstrikes against you. The Osros lack precision-guided munitions..."
The intelligence contained a great deal of information, and Hussein carefully took notes on every word the senator said.
This company doesn't have many employees, huh? That's good. It's only when there aren't many people that it's heartbreaking to see them die.
During this period, many of his men were killed in bombings.
Hussein's eyes gradually turned cold; he was about to retaliate.
If there are no fighter jets, then use drones. As for the enemy's armed helicopters, if they dare to come over, more than 20 portable anti-aircraft missiles will be aimed at them.
Fighter jets can't take them down, but attack helicopters can.
As warriors of the Pearl, the founders of a religious state with a complete governing structure, their fighting prowess far surpasses that of those black men who came down from the trees; those men are unworthy to be believers of the Pearl.
There is discrimination within extremist groups as well, and Hussein clearly looks down on his Black and Green brothers.
In this respect, Ace is still no match for the Foundation faction, but after Uncle Stirrup's death, Ace is indeed more competitive.
After ending the communication, Hussein contacted his men under Elek.
They can connect to the satellite network over there, and the level of surveillance over there isn't as high as in Balmira. Let them investigate the weaknesses of the T-64B1M and the Marder infantry fighting vehicle.
Intelligence gathered in a short time can be outdated. The Ace Ace headquarters was unaware of the Leclerc's existence. Even if someone saw the tank in the Sahel region, they would only assume it was the main battle tank of the Ace Ace.
I'm not sure about the Marder S30 with the upgraded 30mm main gun, but I do know that it has integrated anti-tank missiles. However, what I found online is the old Marder's Milan missile, not two Kornets on each side.
Not to mention the Red Cheetah, which has only been used in the North for concentrated fire defense, and this deployment in Syria is the first time it has been synthesized.
As for the T-64B1M, online information only mentions a single-layered blade, suggesting that it can be dealt with using anti-tank missiles.
Hussein had never heard of a hard-kill active defense system, since even the Ossians' new tanks didn't have one.
This flawed pre-battle preparation marked the beginning of the battle to retake the city of Balmira.
The mole vehicle crew, who had remained at the T-4 base, escorted the last batch of supplies to the outpost camp to reunite with their comrades.
An armored vehicle convoy consisting of five tanks conducted joint drills outside the camp, marking the final stage of familiarization with the formation.
In the very center, 06, driving the red cheetah, was able to maintain a steady pace, adapting to the rhythm of the entire convoy.
The main reason was that Xia Yu brought out a Leopard 1 tank from his collection, and had 06 drive it as a red Cheetah tank with the same chassis for practice, so he naturally got the hang of it very quickly.
"I've been wanting to ask you this for the past few days, is it a cheetah?"
Old Ye, who was watching the drill with Xia Yu, asked.
"Yes, it's for air defense. There are more and more drones in the sky now. I advise you to get a Tunguska self-propelled air defense system if you have the chance."
Xia Yu offered her advice.
He didn't think much of Russia's radar, but the 2S6 Tunguska was far superior to the outdated Shilka.
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